Treatment of cotton with a laccase enzyme and ultrasound

Abstract

In this study, the effects of ultrasound on the enzymatic treatment of cotton fabrics with laccase were investigated. The laccase enzyme treatment of cotton fabric samples was carried out with the support of an ultrasonic homogeniser (UH) and an ultrasonic bath (UB). Optimum enzyme concentration, application time, and enzyme application temperature conditions were first determined. The ultrasound-supported treatments were performed with the obtained optimum conditions. Whiteness, yellowness, weight loss, fabric thickness, tensile strength, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, as well as COD measurement of the process effluents, were carried out. The whiteness of the cotton fabric slightly increased after the laccase enzyme treatment. The effect of the enzyme was intensified with the help of ultrasonic energy leading to up to a 9.2% whiteness improvement. Results indicated that the laccase enzyme treatment processes had no significant degradative damage or effect and/or did not lead to any drastic detrimental change to the surface morphology of the cotton fibre.